Packing Food

Waste not, want not; you don't want to throw money out the window when you move. You are already incurring quite a few expenses as it is! When you are packing up your kitchen, there will no doubt be a good amount of food that you'll want to take with you. Non-perishable items can be packed and shipped relatively simply.

What you'll need

When packing food, there are a few items you're going to use:

Stack of clean packing paper or unprinted newsprint

Some plastic bags

1.5 cubic-foot or "small" cartons

3-cubic-foot or "medium" cartons

A roll of packing tape

A permanent marker

How to pack food

First things first: perishable and frozen food should be thrown out, given away, or eaten before your move. You cannot pack these, for obvious reasons.

Heavier items, like canned and jarred foods, should be packed in small cartons. Cans can simply be stacked into the carton as is. Use crumpled packing paper to fill in any gaps and keep the contents secure.

Food in glass jars should be wrapped in packing paper and placed in a carton that has been padded on the bottom with paper as well. Tightly secure the lids on anything open, and place it in a plastic bag before wrapping it up. This box should be labeled "fragile" and "this end up."

Dry foods, since they are lighter, can be packed in a medium carton. Anything that's open can be secured, closed with tape, and placed in a plastic bag before putting it in the carton. Fill in any gaps or extra space with crushed paper.

With each of these cartons, place one final layer of packing paper on top of everything as cushioning. Then, seal the box with tape. Finish by labeling the box with its contents and destination.